Tarek Bazza is a journalist at Morocco World News with Master’s degree in Translation from King Fahd School of Translation in Tangier.

Dec 12, 2018

Rabat – Morocco’s flag carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) received its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on Tuesday. The new airplane will offer more passenger seats and help the company grow its international business.

The national carrier ordered four 787-9 Dreamliners from Boeing in the last two years, valued at $1.1 billion.

The order included two Dreamliners purchased in December 2016 and two purchased in December 2017.

The Boeing 787-9 is “a second member of the super-efficient Dreamliner family” introduced to RAM, Boeing announced in a statement Tuesday.

Royal Air Maroc’s CEO and Chairman Abdelhamid Addou said, “We are particularly pleased to receive today our airline’s first 787-9, which will soon be joined by three other models from the same family.”

“The choice of this airplane forms part of our strategy to continuously expand and modernize our fleet,” Addou added.

The delivery of the new airplane comes a week after RAM announced it would join the oneworld global airline alliance in mid-2020. By joining oneworld global alliance, RAM will be the alliance’s first African full member and first recruit globally since 2012.

“This will further strengthen our country’s and Royal Air Maroc’s leadership position on the continent,” said Addou.

The larger and longer-range 787-9 will enable RAM to board 30 extra passengers for a maximum capacity of 302 seats and fly up to 14,140 kilometers farther before refueling.

The Moroccan state-owned airline plans to deploy the new 787-9 on flights from Casablanca to Paris, New York, and Sao Paulo, in Brazil.

“In 2015, the airline was the first in the Mediterranean to fly the 787-8, the initial Dreamliner that offered 20 percent less fuel and fewer emissions,” said Boeing.

With the introduction of the 787-8, Royal Air Maroc opened a new non-stop route from Casablanca to Washington, D.C, and has plans to serve Miami starting in 2019.

The Moroccan flag carrier will also receive its first 737 MAX later this month to join a fleet of more than 60 Boeing airplanes. The 737 MAX is “the latest and more efficient version of the 737 airplane.”

Boeing is a joint venture partner with Morocco Aero-Technical Interconnect Systems (MATIS Aerospace) in Casablanca, which builds wire bundles and wire harnesses for Boeing and other aerospace companies.